Tossa de Mar. Costa Brava. Walled city.

Tossa de Mar, Spain.  Walled, medieval city. Costa Brava.

Tossa de Mar is the best-preserved medieval walled city on the Costa Brava, if not all of coastal Spain.  Beaches are perfect first-day stops, but pick yours carefully.  Sand is repetitions.  Choose a unique side-interest. This walled town is on the beach itself, where fishermen and area dwellers could take refuge quickly. See history at http://www.spanish-country-villa.com/tossa/

Tossa de Mar, Spain. Ready refuge on the beach, Costa Brava.

Tossa de Mar, Spain.  Street, medieval city.

Access is walking. 

 

Dan Widing meets Ava Gardner at Tossa de Mar, Spain.  Why is she there?

Ava Gardner:  Ava Gardner is at Tossa de Mar because she arrived there with actor James Mason in 1950 to film "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman."  See http://www.tossacostabrava.com/helpful_info.asp?page_name=pandora___the_flying_dutchman.html

Avila - Teresa's Town

Here are the walls surrounding Avila, the home of St. Teresa (died in the mid-1500's), see www.karmel.at/eng/teresa. St. Theresa is a favorite for those of us who like Bernini's 1652 sculpture of her swooning, with her shoe dangling off her bare foot. See www.stmarys-ca.edu/magazine/v26/4/teresa.

The town of Avila, www.cyberspain.com/ciudades-patrimonio/iavila, where she was from, has standing medieval walls, there were some 90 towers, and the museum is a fine display of her work.
She is especially dear because she had relationships, attractions, waffled in her faith, like Mother Teresa. See ://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/avila.html. Nothing is certain, no matter how much we may want it to be. Is that right? Cheer on the searchers, and keep your own dishes washed. And, was she part Jewish? See ://www.mcs.drexel.edu/~gbrandal/Illum_html/Teresa.html. Pursue that if it is of interest to you. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492.